Carmel Mission (Mission San Carlos Borroméo del Río Carmelo)

Serra founded it in 1770, chose it as his headquarters for all Alta California missions, and is buried beneath the chapel floor. The roof collapsed in 1852; a century of dedicated restoration work beginning in 1931 has made it one of the most authentically preserved Spanish missions in California. It remains an active parish church — and the only California mission that still holds its original bell.